Pablo Castilla, Hedvig Biong, Niko Hafkenscheid (ES/NO/BE): Syden / Songs From A Valley Of Love And Delight

22nd and 23rd of September at 8pm @ &TD Semicircular Hall

Syden (the south) is a word commonly used by Scandinavian tourists and it is a geographical synonim for happiness and relaxation. Syden is a metaphor for the experience of freedom, a holistic mental space where humans can explore themselves in a distinct environment, away from the constraints of daily life. Syden, the project, is looking for a multi-faceted representation of these ingredients. Songs From A Valley Of Love And Delight presents on stage 7 tourists, no actors, Northerners who have moved partially or completely to different places on the Mediterranean. The interviews that were conducted with them have been converted into song lyrics, and music has been composed. They come on stage and sing their own interview material, which describes their own observations, desires and intimate feelings about the life they live. The spectator follows the show in a program book where the lyrics are printed, adding an extra fictional distance to the scene that plays on stage.

Izvođači: Glenda Crooknorth, Marianne Suter, Albert Doody, Rudolf Rutschmann, Margaret Lockie, David Lockie, Ann Holloway
Produkcija: Kevin Or Harry (Pablo Castilla, Niko Hafkenscheid and Hedvig Biong)
Koprodukcija: workspacebrussels, Kaaiteater
Uz potporu: GST Foundation, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Arts Council Norway, Black Box Teater Oslo

U sklopu projekta Flemish Artists’ Focus, uz potporu Flanders State of the Art i Ministarstva kulture RH.

BIOGRAPHY

Kevin Or Harry is an art collective launched in 2015 by musician and composer Niko Hafkenscheid (BE), visual artist Hedvig Biong (NO) and photographer and filmmaker Pablo Castilla (ES). Within Syden, a core research and pluriform work on the theme of authenticity and identity at tourist destinations in the South, Kevin or Harry has produced Syden, A Moment of Being, a reading-room combining, photography, music, text and spatial design, and Syden, Songs From A Valley Of Love And Delight, conceived as a mini-opera for seven tourists.

BEST CONDITIONS FOR WORKING?

Best conditions for working are… time, time and time. Diving into reality is a process that requires time. You start with an idea, a hint, and a surface to scratch. Slowly it grows into an endless process of peeling off countless layers of meaning. The research becomes an essential part of our method. We do not know where we are heading, and we need it to be that way. Research grants are very helpful in that respect.